In this game, the player operates either a blue (P1) or red (P2) tank. The objective is to destroy all the enemy tanks in each level. The game has an unlock structure similar to Table Tennis: the game initially consists of 20 missions, which must be beaten in succession to earn the gold medal. After the gold medal is earned, an additional 80 missions are unlocked, for a total of 100 missions.
General
There are nine types of tanks in this game. Tank have several attributes: color, first mission appearance, speed, projectiles allowed at one time, how many times their projectiles ricochet, mines allowed at one time, intelligence, and projectile type. Each destroyed tank is worth one point.
You play as either P1 or P2. P1 is a cobalt blue tank, while P2 is a crimson red tank (be careful not to get P2 mixed up with the enemy red tanks that first appear in Level 10). Player tanks move at a normal speed. They can fire five slow bullets at a time, which ricochet once. They can lay two mines at one time.
| Tank | First appearance | Speed | Bullets | Bullet ricochets | Mines | Intelligence | Projectile type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Level 1 | Normal | 5 | 1 | 2 | Human | Bullet+Mine |
| Brown | Level 1 | Immobile | 1 | 1 | 0 | Low | Bullet |
| Grey | Level 2 | Low | 1 | 1 | 0 | Low | Bullet |
| Teal | Level 5 | Low | 1 | 0 | 0 | Normal-High | Rocket |
| Yellow | Level 8 | High | 1 | 1 | 4 | Extremely Low | Bullet+Mine |
| Red | Level 10 | Normal | 3 | 1 | 0 | Normal | Bullet |
| Green | Level 12 | Immobile | 2 | 2 | 0 | Extremely High | Bouncy Rocket |
| Purple | Level 15 | High | 5 | 1 | 2 | High | Bullet+Mine |
| White | Level 20 | Normal | 5 | 1 | 2 | Normal-Low | Bullet+Mine |
| Black | Level 50 | Extremely High | 2 | 0 | 2 | Extremely High | Rocket+Mine |
Game modes
There are only two play modes, single-player and two-player.
Single-Player
In single-player mode, the player starts with 3 lives. Every five levels, an extra life is rewarded. Initially, only missions 1-20 are accessible. After mission 20 is completed, the full game of 100 missions is available. Missions 1-10 are very easy and serve simply as a way to increase your life count to 4 or 5 after you become familiar with the game. Of course, as you grow more and more experienced with the game, later missions will become easier too. At mission 50, black tanks are introduced. After Mission 20, all missions whose numbers are not a multiple of ten will be randomly generated and reuse previous battlefields with different tanks. Missions with a multiple of ten are pre-made (such as Level 50, with two black tanks) and sometimes use new battlefields (like Mission 30); others reuse previous ones (Mission 50 uses the Mission 5 battlefield).
Two-Player
In this mode, two players can progress no further than mission 20. Each player has one life in each level, and if both players die in the same level, the game ends. If one of the players finishes the level, both players will be able to play the next level, even if one of the players died in the previous level. The number of enemy tanks or their position are sometimes different when compared to single-player mode, but overall the missions are very similar. Two-player tanks has two major downfalls: there are only 20 missions and only one life per mission for each player (this was probably done to make 20 levels challenging enough to make up for the low quantity).
Enemy tanks
Although the enemy tanks all behave differently, they have a few common characteristics. For example, the tanks that move never stop moving. The moving tanks can push the fixed tanks around.
First, however, you have to know how to effectively ricochet your shots. The concept is simple, but can be difficult to properly make use of in the heat of battle. There are two main types of ricochet sequences: offensive (to destroy enemy tanks) and defensive (to keep away enemy tanks or shots; can easily turn into an offensive ricochet sequence). Each of these involves three main types: acute angle ricochets, obtuse angle ricochets, and right-angle ricochets. The first is when the angle the original path and ricocheted path of your shots is less than 90 degrees, the second involves angles greater than 90 degrees and less than 180, and the third angles equal to 90 degrees. Use each one in the appropriate situation.
The music indicates which tanks are on the board. Each tank adds an instrumental component:
- Brown: Snare Drums and Flute
- Gray: Snare Drums and Triangle(metronome) (If there are 3 or more Gray tanks, Tympani added)
- Teal: Tympani (If there are 2 or more Teal tanks, chnage to timani (off beats) and add cymbals)
- Yellow: Bass Drums
- Red: Snare Drums,Tympani (off beat) and cymbals
- Green: tuba and tubular bells (If there are 3 or more Green tanks, Snare Drums added)
- Purple: like green but no tubular bells (If there are 3 or more Purple tanks, Snare Drums added)
- White: Synthesizer
- Black: White and Green themes combined
Brown
These first appear in Level 1. They are fixed (non-moving), and can only fire one slow bullet at a time. They do not lay mines. Their turrets do not actively seek the player, but only search randomly, firing if you cross their path. Very easy to defeat. A direct shot should finish these off. You could also use a mine.
Grey
These first appear in Level 2. They move at a slow speed, and can only fire one slow bullet at a time. They do not lay mines. Their turrets mildly seek the player, but their movement does not. They are neither offensive or defensive in their movements. A quick burst across their path will usually destroy them. You also can lay a mine which they may eventually wind up steering towards.
Teal
These first appear in Level 5. They move at a slow speed, and can fire one rocket at a time. It does not ricochet. They do not lay mines. Their turrets strongly seek the player, but their movement does not. They are defensive in their movement, and avoid bullets and mines. Avoiding direct engagement is desirable, so stay under cover and use ricochet shots to destroy them. Two things to keep in mind when facing these tanks are the 'continuous movement strategy' and the 'point-blank zone'. The continuous movement strategy is simple: keep moving in one direction while shooting at these tanks if they can shoot at you. In other words, if you are in a direct-confrontation situation, use this strategy to make their shots miss (especially in Levels 5, 6, 7, 13 & 18). Why does it work? Because almost all the time, the teal tanks' shots will seek the current location of a player; they won't aim for where you will be. This, however, is where the point-blank zone comes in. If you are close enough to the teal tanks, their shots will simply be too fast to effectively dodge. You will need to use shot deflection to protect your tank. They are likely at their hardest in Level 7, with four of them.
Yellow
Also nicknamed "Suicide Bomber". These first appear in Level 8. They move at a fast speed, and can fire one slow bullet at a time. They can lay up to four mines at a time; they do this constantly and often for no apparent reason. Their turrets mildly seek the player, but their movement does not. They are neither offensive nor defensive in their movements, but strongly avoid mines. Getting in close and firing a burst deals with these relatively quickly. It is important to note that sometimes these tanks will go suicidal. They often move into your line of fire if it wasn't already headed for them. The problem comes when, by doing this, the yellow tanks lure the player into a trap. This usually involves mines that are invisible due to walls blocking it from your view (common in Levels 8, 9, 13, 40 & 80). Although these tanks, by themselves, are not very dangerous, they can easily become so when they have stronger tanks to back them up because of the sheer number of mines they put down and their random aggressiveness. They are likely at their hardest in Level 80, where they hide mines under the tall breakable blocks, which then are destroyed by mines to create open firing paths for the White and Black tanks in that level.
Red
These first appear in Level 10. They move at a normal speed, and can fire three slow bullets at a time. They do not lay mines. Their turrets and movements both seek the player. They are offensive in their movements. When facing these, always keep moving or you will be destroyed! Shoot at them, but do not pause for long. Move closer and closer and eventually you should win because of your greater firepower. It is essential to master battle against red tanks if you want to even stand a chance against the purple ones. These are very likely at their hardest in Level 14, with three of them, as well as three Green tanks to back them up.
Green
As a new tank in Level 12, these tanks do not move, and can fire two rockets that bounce off the walls twice. They do not lay mines. Their turrets strongly seek the player, and they calculate the ricochets with incredible accuracy. The most difficult threat they pose is when two or more fire at you simultaneously, but from different angles (common in Level 17). It takes a lot of practice to overcome this, but always try to minimize the time in which you are in a situation where this would be especially dangerous. They will rarely fire directly at you, if ever. You mostly see them with any rapid-fire tank (red, purple, black, white). The level where they tend to be most difficult is Level 17, where six of them are on the field around every corner. The moving tanks often push these tanks along walls. If your tank is on the other side of the same wall, you can lay a mine to blow them up (common in Levels 18, 40 & 70 and occasional in Levels 14 & 16).
Purple
These first appear in Level 15. They move at a fast speed, and can fire five slow bullets at a time. They can lay two mines. Their turrets and movements seek the player, though not as strong as some. They are only offensive if a line-of-sight to the player is present. They are like red tanks, but more intelligent and faster. The strategy they use most is the 'ricochet and attack' one (where they send ricochet shots near you, then move in to attack, effectively increasing the chance of a shot hitting you). If you can defend against this and then skillfully go on the offensive when they are vulnerable, they will become much easier to defeat. They have a tendency to coordinate movements with other Purple tanks, and this makes their 'ricochet and attack' strategy a far more deadly occurrence. Be careful to avoid the 'prong' strategy [where two purples close in from different angles and fire at the same time (common in Levels 15 & 16 and occasional in Level 19)]. This strategy is deadly because the player will not be able to escape the bullets, especially if they fire bursts. Just remember to never think it will be an easy win and wait for opportunities to pick them off one-by-one. As soon as the first one is destroyed, the next will be far easier than the last. And as with all difficult tanks, never become careless when you have a surefire chance to destroy them, as it can easily cost you a life or the game. Their biggest weakness is mines. They tend to lay mines for no reason, therefore trapping themselves. Take this chance to charge in and shoot at them, forcing them to be killed by your bullets or driving over their mines, which then explode. Use this strategy against the Black tanks, too.
White
These first appear in Level 20, where they are very likely at their hardest (bullets flying everywhere and no walls). They poof invisible after the level starts. They can fire five slow bullets at a time. They also can lay two mines. You can see them by the tank tracks they make when they move around by using an ID; their tracks are also heavier than other tanks' tracks. It is crucial that you know how many whites there are at the beginning of the mission and during it. Under- or over- estimating will only hinder you. When they turn invisible they make a high or low sound. The high sound means they are going offensive and the low sound means that they are acting defensive.
When facing them, fire bullets slightly ahead of where the newest tracks are leading. The newest tracks are where the middle of the tank is, so if you fire directly at them they may have dodged the bullet by the time it reaches your target. Like the purple tanks, these tanks also tend to lay mines for no reason, so take this chance to kill them before they get away! Also, please note that these tanks tend to sneak up on you in higher levels (common in Levels 40, 70 & 80), so keep your eyes peeled!
Black
These first appear in Level 50, after completing Level 20 once. They are the WORST enemy tanks out of all enemy tanks. They are the fastest tanks in the game and can lay two mines. What makes them the most dangerous is their high speed and they fire two rockets at a time. The battlefield of Level 50 is exactly the same as the one in Level 5, except the top black tank is facing horizontally, not vertically. Like Teal, their turrets will strongly seek you. But unlike Teal, their shots more often aim for where you will be, so if you are to stand any chance against them whatsoever, you must master the tactics of offensive and defensive ricochets, shot deflection, using mines, and basic trapping strategy at least.
Black tanks are defensive and tend to run away whenever you fire at them. So, to destroy one of these you should shoot one bullet in its general direction and then shoot more bullets to the left and right so that it gets trapped between your spread shots. This is the same strategy that Purple tanks use on you.
You must charge in and shoot at them so they have to decide if they want to get blown up by their own mine or run into your bullets.
Black tanks are more effective in more spacious missions (such as Levels 50 & 80), because they have more room to fire at you, and more room to dodge your bullets. Their high speed, their missile speed, where they aim, and their high intelligence is also more deadly. If you can get them into narrow corridors (such as in Level 70), their effectiveness drops significantly. They are at their hardest in Level 100, with four of them, as well as a smaller battlefield.